Ryan Reynolds, Adrien Grenier among stars to headline LIVEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi

Hollywood star and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds, actor and environmental advocate Adrien Grenier, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and media personality Tucker Carlson are among the first high-profile speakers confirmed for LIVEX 2026, Abu Dhabi’s inaugural Livability and Investment Exhibition.

They will join former city mayors Anne Hidalgo, Enrique Penalosa and Sally Capp AO in an international programme featuring more than 100 speakers from government, technology, media, climate and investment.

The three-day event will take place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 29 September to 1 October 2026, bringing together global voices to explore how cities can improve quality of life while attracting talent, investment and sustainable economic growth.

Alongside the conference, a dedicated Investors Lounge will operate in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Mubadala, with their investor services and platform teams present throughout the three-day event.

Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Department of Municipalities and Transport, said in a statement: "Livability is increasingly a defining factor in attracting investment, talent and long-term economic growth. Abu Dhabi has focused on creating an environment where economic opportunity and quality of life reinforce one another. By bringing more than 100 international speakers into the same programme as investors and decision-makers, LIVEX connects a wide range of perspectives with the people and capital shaping the emirate’s continued development.”

LIVEX will draw on Abu Dhabi’s experience of linking urban development with quality of life.

The emirate has been recognised as the most livable city in the Middle East and North Africa for seven consecutive years in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey and as the world’s safest city for ten consecutive years in Numbeo’s Safety Index.

Organisers expect LIVEX 2026 to welcome 20,000 visitors, more than 40 exhibitors and participants from more than 50 countries during the three-day event.

Ahead of LIVEX, a travelling public installation will journey across Abu Dhabi for five weeks, inviting residents to share the stories, moments and ideas that make the city one of the world’s most livable places.

Two further activations are building community momentum in the run-up to the exhibition. A Community Tour will invite residents to rediscover Abu Dhabi one pedal stroke at a time, cycling through some of the city’s most vibrant districts and public spaces to experience the mobility networks, active lifestyles and connected communities that shape its livability.

Children across the emirate are also taking part through Imagine What’s Next, a creative initiative that asks them one question: if they could add one magical thing to their neighbourhood, what would it be? Their artwork will feature in a digital mural and be showcased at LIVEX itself.